1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to motorcycles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some motorcycles, a housing box that houses articles (such as a helmet, for example) is provided below a seat. A seat functions as a lid for such a housing box. Some seats are configured so as to be detached directly from vehicle bodies, while others are configured so that front portions thereof are attached to vehicle bodies via hinges in an openable and closable manner. In either case, the seat is fixed to the vehicle body by a seat lock mechanism. The seat is released by inserting a key into a key cylinder attached to the vehicle body and rotating the key.
For example, as disclosed in JP-A-2004-11257 and JP-A-2012-46015, a motorcycle including a seat lock mechanism of this type is known. From the viewpoint of improving an outer appearance and preventing the inflow of rainwater or the like, a known motorcycle employs a structure in which a key cylinder is attached below a seat and a key is inserted into the key cylinder upwardly from below the seat.
However, in the technique disclosed in JP-A-2004-11257 and JP-A-2012-46015, the key cylinder into which the key is to be inserted and the seat lock mechanism are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, the key cylinder and the seat lock mechanism have to be connected to each other through a wire cable so that a force to release the seat is transmitted to the seat lock mechanism via the wire cable. Since the wire cable is used, the number of components is increased, and in addition, space in which to dispose the wire cable is necessary. Besides, the arrangement of components can be complicated.